Cleaning device



y 1957 A. M. KIRKPATRICK 2,790,987

CLEANING DEVICE Filed June 22, 1955 INVENT OR United A States Fatent Uce CLEANING DEVICE Ada M. Kirkpatrick, Steubenville, Ohio ApplicationJune 22, 1955, Serial No. 517,129

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-229) -'-Ihis invention relates. to a novel cleaningdevice especiallyjadapted for use in cleaning glass surfacesv such asWindows or mirrors.

More particularly, it is .an aim of the present invention toprovide acleaning device primarily adapted for use dry and without a cleaningliquid such as water or a liquid detergent and which, due to its uniqueconstruction, will effectively clean in the corners of a glass surface,such as the corners of a window or mirror.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of thecleaning device;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view thereof, takensusbtantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view through apart of the handle, taken substantially along a plane as indicated bythe line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1,and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one end of thehandle.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the cleaning device in itsentirety and comprising the invention is designated generally '7 andgenerally includes a head 8 and a handle 9.

The head 8 is composed of a frame, designated generally 1t), and a massof cleaning material, designated generaly 11, which is supported by theframe 10.

The frame 10 comprises three strands 12, 13 and 14 of relatively heavygauge wire. The individual strands of wire are each folded or doubledand twisted from end-to-end thereof. The mass of cleaning material 11comprises a multiplicity of individual strands or fibers 15 preferablyformed of yarn, such as cotton rayon. Said strands or fibers 15 areanchored, each at points spaced from the ends thereof in the twistedwire strands of the frame 10, each of which wire strands supports andanchors a different group of the strands or fibers 15. The loopedintermediate portions of the three wire strands 12, 13 and 14, in eachof which a plurality of the fibers or strands 15 are anchored, aresuitably secured or anchored together, as by being twisted together toform an extending knob or projection 16, as seen in Figure 1. Thetwisted strand 12, which constitutes the intermediate portion of thefarme 10, extends inwardly as a substantially straight extension fromthe inner end of the knob 16. The twisted wire strands 13 and 14 arelonger than the intermediate strand 12 and include terminal portions 18and 19, respectively, which are located adjacent the terminal end 17 ofthe twisted strand 12 and in substantially side by side relationthereto. Said twisted strands 13 and 14 include portions and 21,respectively, which extend substantially at right angles form theterminal portions. 18 and 19 in directions away from one another andaway from the intermediate twisted strand 12. The

, strands 13 and 14 include elongated portions 22 and 23,

ate strand 12 toward said knob 16. Said portions 22 and 23 terminate ininwardly curved portions 24 and 25, respectively, which converge withone another and with the intermediate strand 12 at the inner end of theknob 16, as seen in Figure 1. The twisted strands 12, 13 and- 14 arepreferably disposed substantially coplanar.

The fibers or strands 15 extend outwardly in all directions from theindividual twisted strands 12, 13 and 14 and said fibers or strands 15may be anchored in the frame strands so that the end portions of thosefibers which extend inwardly from the outer frame strands 13 and 14toward the intermediate strand 12 will be shorter than the other ends ofsaid fibers 15 which extend away from the frame 10. Additionally, asindicated in Figure 1, a substantial mass of the fibers 15 will besupported by the parts of the frame forming the projection or knob 16 toprovide a thick mass of fibers which will extend in all directions fromthe projection 16 including longitudinally thereof in a direction awayfrom said projection, so that the projection 16 will be completelyenclosed and surrounded by the fibers which are .anchored therein. Itwill also be apparent that the fibers 15 project from both sides of theplane of the frame 10, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The elongated handle 9 which may be formed of wood or any other suitablematerial has an inner end provided with a recess 26 opening outwardly ofthe inner end thereof of substantial depth, measured lengthwise of thehandle 9, and which has a transverse width in one crosswise directionthereof substantially greater than its thickness, as measured at a rightangle to its width, as best illustrated in Figure 3. Said recess 26contains a bonding medium 27 such as a glue, cement or plastic wood. Theterminal ends 17, 18 and 19 of the wire strands forming the frame it)are embedded in the bonding medium 27 contained in the handle recess 26and are thus anchored to said handle 9, for securing the handle to thehead 8.

The recessed inner end of the handle 9 is preferably reinforced by a capor ferrule 28, which may be formed of plastic or any other suitablematerial. The cap or ferrule 28 has an annular wall 29 which fitsclosely around the inner end of the handle 9 and is provided with an endwall 3% which abuts the inner end of the handle 9 and is provided withan elongated opening 31, which substantially corresponds to the crosssectional shape of the recess 26 and which is disposed in registrationtherewith. Parts of the terminal portions 17, 18 and 19 extend throughthe opening 31, as seen in Figure 1.

The individual fibers or strands 15 of the mass of cleaning material 11are preferably impregnated with a good grade of polish. The handle 9 maybe of relatively short lengths, as for example six or eight inches, toprovide a handle similar to a brush handle and so that the hand of theoperator holding the cleaning device 7 will be disposed adjacent thehead 8, or the handle 9 may be of substantially greater length, similarto the length of a mop or broom handle, to be gripped at a point remotefrom the head 8.

it will be readily apparent that the head 8 of the cleaning device 7 maybe effectively used for cleaning and polishing a surface while held andmanipulated by the handle 9 and is especially adapted for cleaning glasssurfaces such as Windowpanes and mirrors. Both sides of the head 8 willafford a soft cleaning surface of subteamed May 7, 1957 stantial areasupported by the frame 10 for quickly and efiiciently accomplishing acleaning and polishing action. The outer end of the cleaning andpolishing material 11 surrounding and protruding outwardly from theprojection or knob 16 provides an etfective portion of relatively small,cross sectional size for efficiently cleaning the corners of surfacessuch as the corners, of windowpanesand mirrors and edge portionsthereof.

The; cleaning device 7 may be made in various sizes and various forms ofcleaning material 11 may be emp aye Various other modifications andchanges are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to,withoutdeparting from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined, by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A cleaning device of the character described comprising an elongatedhead and an. elongated handle, said head comprising an. elongated frameformed of a plurality of strands, ofwire each, of which is folded andthen twisted, each of said wire strands having a plurality of strandso1: fibers of cleaning material anchored therein and extending,substantially transversely therefrom in all directions, complementaryends of the wire strands constituting one end of the frame beinganchored to an end of the handle for connecting the head and handle,said frame including a longitudinally extending intermediate twistedstrand disposed substantially in axial alignment with the handle andside strands having portions laterally spaced from said intermediatestrand and extending in converging relation to one another and to theintermediate strand in a direction away from the handle, said sideportions of the side strands merging with the intermediate strandadjacent the end of the frame disposed remote from the handle and beingconnected. to one another and to said intermediate strand to form, an,elongated substantially straight projection at the last mentioned outerend of the frame, said projection being, formed by twisted portions ofthe individual wire strands to each of which wire strands are anchoredcleaning material strands or fibers sufiicient-ly flexible to enterinaccessible corners.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

